The present invention relates to a decorative catering device for displaying and serving individual-serving-size food items. More particularly, the present invention relates to a combination decorative artificial plant or tree for displaying and serving appetizers.
Restaurants, caterers and even home party hosts recognize that presentation of their culinary creations is equally as important as taste. In a constant effort to improve their image and reputation, restaurants, caterers and home party hosts often display their culinary creations in colorful arrangements using decorative food garnish. Such arrangements, however, are time consuming to prepare and usually must be disposed of after a single use. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a device for displaying and serving appetizers which is both decorative and reusable.
In the retail food industry, stands for displaying prepackaged food items, such as candy and other snack items, are known as taught by, for example, Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,348, and Joaquin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,520. The devices disclosed by Harris and Joaquin are reusable but are not decorative and have little use by caterers, restaurants and party hosts in displaying and serving individual-serving-size food items. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a device for displaying and serving appetizers which is not only reusable but also decorative.
Known commercial devices for displaying and serving prepackaged food items such as taught by Harris and Joaquin have other shortcomings for serving appetizers. For examples, such devices are expensive and bulky. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a device for displaying and serving appetizers which is inexpensive, and which can readily fit into a residential dishwasher and be stored in a compact area.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which can be used by restaurants, caterers and home party hosts for displaying and serving individual-serving size food items such as appetizers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for displaying and serving individual-serving size food items which is decorative, durable and reusable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for displaying and serving individual-serving-size food items which is not only decorative but also capable of being repeatedly cleaned and sanitized, preferably by commercial or residential dishwashers.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a device for displaying and serving individual-serving-size food items which can be easily disassembled so that it can readily fit into a residential dishwasher and be stored in a compact area.
The device for displaying and serving individual-serving-size food items comprises a pedestal, a head fixed to and supported by the pedestal, and means for releasably fixing a plurality of individual-serving-size food items on the head. The pedestal has a base and an upwardly-extending support member having an upper end and a lower end fixed to the base. The base includes an open-top receptacle for containing and serving a complementary accouterment, such as a dipping sauce or marinade. The receptacle is preferably removable from the base for filling, emptying and storing the accouterment contained therein. Alternatively, the base may include a plurality of removable receptacles.
The base is made of a heavy ceramic, wood, metal or plastic material to prevent the device from tipping over. The base may have an internal cavity and a sealable port accessing the internal cavity. Ballast may be inserted into the internal cavity for added stability. Alternatively, a heated or cooled fluid material may be added to the internal cavity for heating or cooling, respectively, the accouterment contained in the receptacle(s).
The head comprises a sphere having a plurality of sockets spaced thereon. A plurality of spikes are fixed to and extend outwardly from the head. Preferably, each of the spikes is removable from the head. In one embodiment, the head is removable from the pedestal and has a flat surface portion formed thereon.
In a preferred embodiment, the device is colored and designed to look like an artificial plant or tree having a potted base, a trunk supported by and extending upwardly from the base, a bulb fixed to the upper end of the trunk, and a plurality of branches fixed to and extending outwardly from the bulb. Each of branches is constructed and arranged to releasably fix an individual-serving-size food item, such as a bite size appetizer, to the bulb. The potted base serves as an appetizer dip reservoir.